


Winter’s Chill

by Tiara_of_Sapphires



Series: For Moments in Eternity (Setleth Week 2019) [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Sharing a Bed, Snowed In, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/pseuds/Tiara_of_Sapphires
Summary: The war comes to a screeching halt when the blizzard of a century comes through and people do whatever they can to keep warm.For Setleth Week Day 4: Yule/Holiday
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Series: For Moments in Eternity (Setleth Week 2019) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578190
Comments: 2
Kudos: 90





	Winter’s Chill

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: GRAPHIC BED-SHARING
> 
> Enjoy!

Yule came in the middle of a campaign, with a blizzard on its heels. Any thought of celebration had been chased from everyone’s minds. It was the kind of storm that would stop both armies in their tracks, delaying the battle for at least a month.

The coalition forces had little choice but to hunker down and ride it out. Seteth hated every second of it.

Seteth always felt that the war was being held together by threads, but it was times like this that made his fears even more concrete. There were defections, but each one reported him dreaded the day of a mass exodus or worse, betrayal, from the coalition army. These conditions would only make the idea more tempting for the masses to turn against the leadership.

Prince Blaiddyd was utterly unconcerned by the idea of a rebellion. They knew that he would bring a bloody massacre on anyone who betrayed them. Whether he and the rest of the army would survive such a thing was up for debate.

Byleth tried to rein him in, but to little avail. He was on a warpath and in the trio’s most recent meeting, it became only more apparent.

 _He_ had already retired for the night, leaving the two of them to their silence in Seteth’s tent.

Byleth shivered from where she sat at their impromptu meeting table. “This is unbearable.”

She had confessed to wearing five layers of clothes and still, she shivered. Seteth didn't fare much better, but she seemed to be so small under all that bulk.

“Have you not lived in Fódlan all your life? Aren’t you used to the winters?”

She paused and seemed to shrink even further into her cloak.

“I just—haven’t really noticed it until now.”

“What do you mean? Surely the cold would become too hard to ignore.”

Her eyes shifted around the room. “I don't think you would understand. I barely understand it myself.”

A wind ripped through camp, dropping temperatures even lower and chasing all conversation from their tongues. There would be no more strategizing for the night. Neither of them could put together a coherent battle plan, even if they tried.

Byleth rose from her chair and adjusted her cloak.

“Well, I would wish you good night, but, in case you forgot, my tent was crushed by a tree branch.”

He didn't forget. The thought of her being in the tent when that branch fell brought dread to his heart. He already worried enough about her falling in the battlefield.

Out of pure pragmatism, of course. Not out of affection, not at all.

“Where were you going to sleep?” he wondered.

Byleth shrugged, or she just shivered again. Seteth couldn't tell.

“No idea. The other students have paired up so I would likely have to squeeze into one of their tents.”

Propriety and something a little more selfish had him opening his mouth. “You can always join me, here. I don't want you to freeze in the night.”

Okay, maybe a bit more selfish than he wanted to admit. He had found himself inexplicably drawn to her and soon realized that he would likely follow her to the ends of the earth. He wouldn’t for the mad Prince of Faerghus or any of the Alliance lords. Her, and her alone.

To his immense relief, she nodded. “Very well. I don't want you to freeze, either.”

They both glanced at the cot. It was just enough for one person, two if they lay on their sides for the whole of the night. The poor logistics were laid bare before them.

“You know, I hear its best to share body heat during conditions like this,” Byleth murmured. “To lay in bed together.”

“Naked.”

Her brow shot to her hairline and a fine blush dusted the pale of her cheeks. “ _Naked_?” she parroted.

Seteth reeled back. The word escaped his mouth before he could check himself. The cold was really addling his mind.

“Ah, underwear on, of course. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“No, no,” she murmured, shaking her head. “That makes sense. Body heat.”

Her fingers immediately went to the buttons at her throat before pausing.

“Shall I go first, or you?” she asked, face a careful blank save for the faint tremble of her jaw.

Seteth shook himself, realizing that he had been staring agape for a few more seconds that what was proper. He didn’t think that she would actually go along with the suggestion, but now that she was in the process, he didn't know what to do with himself.

“Ah, you first.”

She gave him a short nod before her hands began to undo the buttons of her first layer.

He averted his eyes for what felt like a long time. The rustle of fabric and Byleth’s frustrated mumbling were the only signs that it wasn’t safe for him to look just yet.

“Finally,” she mumbled.

There was the telltale _pat pat_ of feet and he dared glance back.

He could see the curve of her ass and a swath of pebbled skin before she disappeared under the blankets. She made a noise of discomfort as the blankets and animal furs were almost as cold as the air surrounding them.

Her face didn't reappear and he realized that she was waiting for him to undress and join her. While the fact that she thought him a prude rankled him, as true as it might be, he made haste in shedding himself of his clothes.

Byleth had piled her clothes onto one of the chairs in a ridiculous-looking mass. He followed suit, stacking his onto the chair next to hers.

Each layer had him shuddering with the chill and the anticipation that there was an unclothed woman in his bed.

Byleth, not just any woman.

The last piece of clothing joined the rest, leaving him only in his underwear, and he found himself scrambling into bed.

Byleth yelped as he raised the covers and flopped next to her, turning on his side so he wasn’t on top of her.

She wriggled next to him and the brush of her skin on his had desire pooling in his belly.

That contact brought a realization to his mind and it took everything he had not to viscerally react to it. She was entirely naked. He hadn’t seen her underwear among her clothes, but he could feel the bare skin of her hip against him.

She did take his suggestion for sleeping naked together to heart.

“It’s so cold,” Byleth mumbled.

Seteth agreed. Even surrounded by layers of cloth and fur, the chill was piercing. It did little to cool the flare of want that writhed inside of him.

“Ah, hopefully this isn’t—,” Byleth paused.

Before he could ask what she meant, he was being nudged onto his back and she was climbing on top of him.

“Professor?” he gasped.

Byleth maneuvered herself with a speed and grace that was equally terrifying and arousing. He stayed shock-still as she moved above him to rest on his chest. Her legs stretched between his Where he was startled, she seemed utterly unaffected by their new position. Her arms tucked between them and her breasts pressed against his chest.

“Put your arms around me, Seteth.”

He obeyed instantly and could feel how her skin pebbled under his touch. He couldn't allow his restraint to cause them to freeze in the night, so he pressed her close to him.

She exhaled though her nose and settled further against his chest.

They were in an in-between place. It was intimate, but could be easily excused as necessity for survival.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain.”

He hadn’t noticed that she had been watching his face. The innocence in her voice had him blushing even more.

_Pervert._

“You’re just,” he paused and cleared his throat. “You’re close.”

His chest shuddered and he could only hope that he could play it off as being cold.

She hummed, a soft, feminine sound that he knew he would revisit in a later, more private time.

“Good night, Seteth.”

He rested his chin on the top of Byleth’s head and smelled her floral shampoo. Even in the middle of a war, she could still captivate hi,.

“Good night, Byleth.”

It was going to be a long night.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> [Here’s my Tumblr! Feel free to follow and drop Setleth drabble/fic requests!](https://tiaraofsapphires.tumblr.com/)  
> All feedback is appreciated! Comments/kudos feed me and definitely motivate me to write more stories!  
> Cheers!


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